Flamingos & Cat Eyes: Key Ingredients to Life

Picture this: Greg & Kerrie sitting among hundreds of people. Hundreds of heads of grey, short, curly hair. Hundreds of pairs of glasses. Watching. Knowing...... knowing we don't have a clue what we're doing. Knowing we don't belong. Knowing we are far from retirement and should have better things to do. BETTER?! Never.

"What is this place?!!", you may be asking.
"Bingo", we would answer you. "Flamingo Bingo." Awesome.

We ventured into the world of retirement and joined 100+ (not exactly "hundreds") thrill-seeking senior citizens for a night of bingo. 192 games, no wins, and a shiny pink dobber (ink blotter thing) later.... we left. I suppose a record of 0-192 only leaves room for improvement.

Picture this: Greg and Kerrie sitting in the dark. By the George Foreman. Wishing there was heat. Wishing there was light. Wishing there was Dish TV. (only the necessities).

Ba-da-bing! Cat eyes. Let there be light. (cat eyes = light attached to Greg's hat. Don't worry, I didn't know either)

Ba-da-boom! Generator hooked up to Dish. Let there be TV.

Oh, Adventures of Indoor Camping, how we love thee.

*We had returned to Harlan for the weekend to take care of the farm. We found no power, but in its place was a generator powering the fridge, George Foreman, and a single lamp. From there, Greg rigged it so we could also get TV. Essentials are important :)

As much as we love Adventures of Indoor Camping, we also love farm chores. We spent the weekend cruising around in 12 mph tractors loading & delivering hay bales to cows, as well as loading and emptying bucket after bucket of corn to feed them. 

Things went well until Monday morning, when we needed to head back to Rochester for Greg's radiation appointment. We left shortly after 7am to do chores, not knowing that a blizzard was rolling in.

As we took the truck with a trailer of bales out to one of the farms, we found ourselves encountering a few drifts. We charged through the first few, and emerged untouched. Yet as we crested the final hill, we found ourselves inside a tunnel of white. The truck would not budge, nor would our doors. Greg dug out of his side and stepped out to survey the damage of white that enveloped us. We were another 1/2 mile from the farm, so he grabbed an extension cord and headed out into the unknown. (the "unknown" being 40 mph winds, bitter cold, and the chance of being attacked by jaguars).

He returned an hour later in a tractor, plowing his way up the hill to rescue me. *Chivalry never dies* (gag). After many attempts to pull the truck & trailer out of neck-deep drifts (slight exaggeration is possible here) and breaking something in the process, we sneakishly (it's contagious. sorry) ditched the truck in the middle of the drifted road and raced home in the tractor at 12 mph.

Once back home, we quickly loaded the car and headed for Rochester. Our trip was lengthened, however, by interstate closings, zero visibility roads, and cravings for Chinese food. We completely missed his radiation appointment by several hours because roads were so bad. If we had known there would be such bad conditions, we may have considered digging the truck out and not leaving it for the sheriff to worry about.

As week 2 comes to a close, we continue to feel extremely blessed through your prayers and support. Greg is still experiencing NO side effects! Wow!! What a blessing :)

We appreciate you so much. Thanks for keeping in touch with us and filling us in on your life, while listening to ours. Happy Friday! :)

21

Random Fact of the Day: It takes 21 days to make (or break) a habit.

Random 2nd Fact of the Day: 21 days is longer than it sounds.

One incredibly important foundational piece to a relationship (whether it is with a friend, family member, spouse, or acquaintance) is the role Christ plays in each of your lives. Being aware of this, Greg and I have been focusing on the role Christ plays in our relationship. It has been unique to have 5 weeks with 96% of the day free, which gives us no excuse for not spending time reading our Bibles. We have noticed how much easier this situation has been to handle and how much peace we have each had because of God's faithful hand.

Although Christ already played a key role to us both individually and as a couple, it can be easy to forget to read the Bible daily. Therefore, we decided to step up to the challenge of reading our Bibles every day. Every single day. It might not sound difficult because, as Random Fact of the Day states, "it takes 21 days to make (or break) a habit". Only 21 days. Only?

Habit to make: Read Bible every day.
Habit to break: Cracking knuckles.

21 days has now come and gone, and we have passed with a A-. There have been a few days that were skipped here and there, but the habit is still forming and as the habit increases, the desire for time with the Lord increases. Funny how that works :)

One way we are staying consistent is by reading the Psalm that corresponds to the date. (January 4 = Psalm 4, etc.) It has been so sweet to see how God has used the Psalmist's words to comfort, heal, and strengthen to exactly what we need that day. There have been so many days that the Lord has provided words of encouragement that speak directly to what I need that day. He is incredibly faithful and knows what I/we need before we even ask.

Making time with the Lord first and foremost has already begun to bear fruit beyond what we imagined. I promise that when Christ is the center of your life, you can handle more than you thought, love people with a deeper love than you knew, and see the world in an entirely different light. You will find joy, peace, and hope you did not know existed. Your world will change. Guaranteed.

So... What do your next 21 days hold?


[Coming soon: Adventures with Cat Eyes]

Petition for Free Pie Wednesday to ---> Free Pie EVERYday

Days 1 through 3 have come and gone much quicker than expected. There have been so many happenings it is hard to know where to begin. Therefore, I am going to simply begin numbering (I told you I love top ten lists) and see where this goes. I am clearly learning that blogging takes more consistency than I usually allow, but I will adapt :)

1. Monday, Day 1: Radiation and Chemo - no side effects. Awesome.
2. Tuesday, Day 2: Radiation and Chemo - no side effects. Extra Awesome.
3. Wednesday, Day 3: Radiation and Chemo - no side effects. Still Extra Awesome.
3a. (picture: Day 1 complete. Demonstrating the feeling of Awesomeness with PS3 football.)

4. The kids at our "home" are hilarious and wonderful. Emma, the little 8 year old, absolutely loves Greg. She consistently asks me to sneakishly (that's not a word, don't worry - I'm aware. but maybe you should start using it? It's pretty fun. Give it a try.... right now. Go ahead. I dare you (now you have to). See? Told you it'd be fun) follow her, which ends up with the two of us entering her older brother's room empty handed and leaving with loaded nerf guns and pockets full of ammunition. We then proceed to sneak off to wherever Greg is, and attack. When we ran out of nerf ammo, I taught her how to shoot rubber bands like a gun. We are now loaded with nerf guns, pockets of ammo, and hands full of rubber bands.

4a. Tonight, she sneakishly (it's addicting. I dare you to use it again) pulled me into a back room in the basement which she had stashed with gobs of colorful plastic balls, nerf guns, lots of ammo, a febreeze bottle, and a sippy cup of water without the stopper. As soon as Greg and Jacob came down to play PS3 we waited for exaaaaaaactly the right moment and came darting out, splashing water (as much as you can toss out of the mouth of a sippy cup :)), spraying febreeze, chucking bright colored balls, and (bet you can't guess...) yes, shooting nerf guns. Awesome.

5. This morning I asked Greg if I could get him anything and he replied, "You can come lay one on me." I walked over and asked, "Lay what? I don't get it. What do you want me to lay on you, Greg? This?" *WHACK* (insert smack across left cheek). Hahahahaaha. Got him. I think he will be a bit more specific next time.
5a. Disclaimer: This is not an abusive relationship. We both laughed for a really long time. I laughed a little harder, though.

6. The radiation nurses that Greg sees everyday asked him today if friends or family ever tell him he looks like a move star. He suggested Ryan Gosling, and they said, "YES! WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT!!" He looks like Ryan Gosling in The Notebook when he loses himself because the girl leaves him. I'd like to think Greg has better reasons for not shaving.

7. The best part of the day, which is to become a weekly ritual, is Free Pie Wednesday at Baker's Square. Awesome. You buy a drink, and enjoy the deliciousness of homemade pie. Extra Awesome. Some of you may be wondering, "Kerrie.... it's January. Doesn't No Junk January include ALL of January?" The answer is this: Nope. I, Kerrie Thompson, do hereby amend No Junk January to exclude each Wednesday of the week. (Come on, it's the one great thing we have to look forward to up here!). If you really feel guilty, you can exclude the amendment from your personal NJJ Ten Commandments. I will send an updated copy next year.

8. Soooo... the only thing Greg and I have going on EVERY day is his one radiation appointment. The time varies from day to day, but that is the only thing we have scheduled. The other 23.5 hours are ours to fill with reading, working out, time with the Lord, watching sweet shows on hunting/fishing/being manly, crafts, facebook, email, job applying, etc.
8a. We have yet to be on time for an appointment.
8b. Our second day, we completely missed an appointment with a nurse.
8c. We missed the appointment by an hour.
8d. We vow to improve on timeliness. Hopefully.

9. It is really wonderful to hear from so many of you and for your calls, emails, texts, etc. We know you are busy with your own life, which makes us feel all the more loved when we hear bits and pieces of what is going on with you.

10. Told you I love top ten lists. This will likely become a common occurrence, but I will try to write like a normal person with paragraphs, indentations, capitalization, commas, etc. (sneakishly).

ta ta.

Side Effects Include: High Blog Pressure

Here it is.
I know, I know.... I can't believe it either. Blogging is something I never imagined I would do. I always thought it seemed purposeless, a waste of time, self-centered, and too much work. If you're like me, you will read this once and never visit it again. I am awful at reading friends' posts, writing on facebook walls, and replying to emails & texts. (Apparently the age of technology hasn't hit me yet. I'm not disappointed :)) Yet, if you would enjoy a small glimmer of hope in your day, a quick laugh to keep you going, or an uplifting story that shows nothing except how great our God is, this is the place for you.

If you are wondering why on earth Greg and I have begun blogging (because as of a few weeks ago, I think we both figured we had much better things to do with our time), it is from a recently discovered side effect from the disease "Peer Pressure". The side effect is powerful and makes you do things you would not normally do. It causes you to take time out of your normal activities and dwell on specific moments of your day. It forces you to verbalize thoughts, feelings, emotions, and humor. This side effect is dangerous, and can cause lives' around you to tune in to your words. Powerful words. Enlightening words. God-fearing words. "What on EARTH is this horrible side effect?", you may ask.

The answer is this: High Blog Pressure.

To get you up to speed on why we are experiencing High Blog Pressure, I will go back in time to July of 2009. In July, my fiance (then, boyfriend) Greg mentioned he had been having cramping and small spasms in his right leg that lasted for only a few seconds, but occurred every other day or so. We had it checked out, and after a few MRIs and climbing the ladder of important doctors, we were directed to Mayo Clinic in Rochester to look more closely at a spot on the left side of his brain. Over Thanksgiving of 2009, Greg met with doctors at Mayo and found he had a brain tumor.

(Flash back): In 2004, due to a concussion during football season, Greg had an MRI that showed a small spot in the same area as the tumor. The doctors were able to compare his 2004 tumor to the 2009 ones and were able to see how the tumor had grown and progressed to where it is today.

(Flash forward): After graduating in December, Greg, myself, and his family went to Rochester with the intention of removing the tumor. However, after talking with one of the best neurosurgeons in the world, we were told he had some options. Doctors did a biopsy on the tumor, and found it to be a stage 2 Oligoastrocytoma. When the celebrations of Christmas, our engagement, and New Year's had passed, we returned again to Rochester to determine treatment for the tumor. Several doctors with detailed specialties (neurosurgery, neurology, oncology, radiology) each talked about treatment options, and it was decided that Greg would begin radiation and chemotherapy on January 18th that would last for 5 weeks.

It has been so sweet to see the power of God already working and how He has gone before us to prepare so many things that bring comfort to the situation.
1. First of all, staying in Rochester for 5 weeks is not a light expense :) However, he has family that lives there and they have been SO welcoming and accommodating through things. Hence, living is taken care of. (WOW). Such a blessing.
2. Second of all, although a brain tumor isn't generally on the top of the list of things to accomplish in life, Greg's tumor is the one to have if you're going to have one. The tumor has a make up to it called a 1p/19q gene deletion that means it is more responsive to treatment. Praise the Lord :)
3. Third of all (as if the numerical system is not enough :) ha.), because Greg and I both graduated in December, we have no jobs or anything to tie us down. It is such a blessing to be able to be with him in Rochester during a potentially rough transition.
4. The Lord has been so wonderful in providing a network of people and prayer warriors to build a fortress of protection around us. We have felt an incredible peace and calmness that is undeniably from the hand of God due to consistent prayers over the situation and healing & strength for his body.
5. The family we are living with is wonderful. Not only is it great to be able to be part of a family, but they have three great children (11, 8, and 1.5) that are a joy to spend time with and keep us entertained.

Stop me now, I have a love for top ten lists.....

As we begin this journey, we invite you to participate, read, laugh, cry (from laughing), and respond. I cannot promise we will do well at replying to your response, but we will keep you updated through this blog. As friends, family, and acquaintances began to hear the news of what we are about to take on, many people inquired about a blog. I soon realized there would be no way to keep everyone informed (and with the correct facts) unless some sort of mass posting took place. Thus, the birth of the blog.

As we have quickly learned, we encourage you to make today wonderful. Love it, cherish small moments, and avoid catching the Peer Pressure disease; which has shown the overwhelming side effect of High Blog Pressure :)

We are so glad to know you and appreciate prayers for healing & strength more than we can express.
Thank you for all you have done,

Greg & Kerrie